Josh took out his phone and called someone. While he waited to get the address from whoever he was talking to, he looked over at me. After studying me for a moment, he slipped off his suit coat and gave it to me. “Here, you must be freezing. Your nose is all red.”

I didn’t want to explain why my nose was red, so I put on the coat without saying anything. Josh went back to his phone conversation. He got the address and a few minutes later we pulled onto Kaylee’s street. It was easy to spot her house. The lights were on and cars lined both sides of the street.

Josh double-parked in front of Kaylee’s house and left his keys in the ignition. “If anyone needs to get by, move the car for them.” He opened his door, then turned back to me and added, “Carefully.”

I rolled my eyes at him, but he was already heading toward the house and probably didn’t see my facial commentary. I sat in the car, waiting, and wondered what Elise would do when she saw me. Would she be mad I’d helped Josh track her down? I was glad I had Josh’s coat. It was comforting to be wrapped up in something that smelled like his aftershave.

A few minutes later, Josh came out of the house. Elise followed after him. She wobbled into the back seat of the car, reeking of beer. “Well,” she mumbled, “if it isn’t the three Musketeers come to save me from myself. At least I think there are three of you. If you stopped waving up and down I could count.”

She laughed, but I didn’t. This time she was laughing at me.

Without saying anything, Josh put the car in drive and went down the street.

I twisted in my seat to face her. “Why did you tell your parents you were with me?”

She lay down across the seat. “Because Josh has told them about you. They think you’re a good influence.” She pushed some hair away from her face. “Although obviously not a good enough influence tonight. I think I’m going to throw up.” She waved a hand in Josh’s direction. “Can’t you drive without making the car sway around?”

Josh unrolled the back windows, letting in a blast of cold air. “Don’t you dare throw up inside my car.”

Elise moaned for a few moments. Then, moving faster than I’d thought her capable of, she jerked upright and leaned out the window. Her body shuddered and her hair whipped around in the wind. After a minute she pulled herself back inside. Even in the dark, her skin looked blotchy. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her sleeve, making faces at the taste in her mouth.

“So,” I said, “this is how you have fun?”

“It beats sitting at home babysitting while I wait for the Bobs of the world to ask me out—which reminds me, how was your date?”

“Fine.”

“Just fine?”

“Yes. Fine.”

“Think you have a future together? Maybe settle down and raise some little Bobbets?”

Josh let out a disapproving grunt. “Elise, stop being a jerk.”

“Oh, so now you tell me how to talk to my friends. I shouldn’t be surprised. You know how to do everything better than me, don’t you?”

Josh gripped the steering wheel hard. “Shut up, Elise.”

She flipped him off. He turned the radio on, and they ignored each other and me for the rest of the ride. I didn’t say anything either. Even with the heater blasting, it felt cold in the car.

Finally Josh pulled up in front of my house. “See you guys later,” I said, and got out of the car.

I hurried toward my house, only stopping at the porch when Josh called, “Cassidy, wait up.”

He had gotten out of the car and was striding toward me. Everything about him was tense: his walk, his expression, the set of his jaw. I had the sudden desire to give him a hug and tell him he was a good brother, even if Elise didn’t appreciate it at the moment.

I didn’t. It seemed too forward.

It wasn’t until Josh reached me that I remembered I still had his coat. “Oh,” I said, slipping it off my shoulders. “I forgot I was wearing this. Sorry.”

I handed it to him, but he didn’t turn to leave. “I didn’t come for the coat.” His words were soft. The tenseness that had been there moments before had drained away. “I just wanted to say thanks for helping me. I’m sorry I got you up and dragged you around town.”

“It’s okay.” I glanced back at the car to see if Elise was watching us. She was lying down with her feet propped up on the window. “That’s what friends are for.”

I had meant I was Elise’s friend, but Josh reached out and gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m glad you’re my friend.” He smiled, then turned and walked back to his car.

I put my hand on the doorknob, watching him for another moment.

Josh considered me his friend. The phrase glowed inside me. It made me think of standing next to him in the photo line when he’d said, “You’re great the way you are, Cassidy. I wouldn’t change anything about you.” Funny how that was the highlight of my first date.

I went inside my house and saw the kitchen light was on. I stood in the entryway and considered my options. Was it possible to sneak upstairs unnoticed? Maybe it was only a stray parent who’d wandered into the kitchen for something to eat. Maybe, if I walked up the stairs quietly, my parents would remain blissfully and unangrily ignorant. Then again, maybe they were waiting for me. Maybe they knew I had gone, and trying to cover it up would only bring down parental wrath.

As I debated, my mother called, “Cassidy?”

“Yes.”

“Would you come here, please.”

She knew. I swallowed hard and went to face her.

Mom sat at the table, flipping through one of her art magazines.

“Mrs. Benson called five minutes ago. She said Josh had driven here to pick up Elise and hadn’t come back.” Mom shut her magazine forcefully. “It would have been nice if I’d known what she was talking about. As it was, all I could tell her was that I hadn’t seen Elise or Josh, and I didn’t know where you were either.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

“I’m not finished.” She glanced at the kitchen clock. “In fact, I don’t think I’ll be finished for quite some time.”

I shifted my weight. “I only left so I could help Josh track down Elise.”

“Did you find her?”

“Yes.”

“Is she all right?”

“She’s drunk.”

“I suppose her parents will deal with her behavior. I’ll deal with yours.” Mom’s voice raised several decibels. “Since when did you start thinking it was acceptable to leave in the middle of the night without telling your parents?”

“I knew if I told you, you wouldn’t let me go.”

Another decibel. “If you knew our opinion, you certainly shouldn’t have gone!”

I let out a resigned sigh and wished she could understand my position. “Elise is my friend. I wanted to help find her.”

“That’s her family’s responsibility. Not yours.”

“But I know where her friends live. Josh didn’t.”

“Then you should have given her parents a list of names. You didn’t have to go off alone with him in the middle of the night without telling us.”

I sat down at the table, too tired to argue about it anymore. “I’m sorry, okay? I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

She looked at me, paused, and her voice came out gentler. “I won’t ground you this time. It’s hard to be mad at you when I know you were trying to help someone. At least I hope that’s why you went. I hope it wasn’t for an outing with Josh.”

I glanced down at my sweatshirt and exercise pants. “It wasn’t for an outing with Josh. If I’d been trying to impress Josh, I wouldn’t have gone at all. Look at me. My hair is uncombed, my nose is swollen, and I have no makeup on.” Suddenly it hit me how terrible I must look. I had sat across from Josh for half an hour looking like I’d been the one who’d hung my head out a window. I let out a groan. “How am I going to face him again when he’s seen me like this?”

“You’ll find a way somehow.”

I put my chin in my hand. “I guess it doesn’t matter. I’ve given up on dating anyway.”